[Aardwolf]

It looks like it could be done as some sort of particle effect... notice that the gas farther from the surface (in the original cutscene) is more diffuse (blurred)... small rising particles which expand and fade from white to yellow to red and disappear...

was the original animated or just a static image?

[mjn.mixael]

The original is a screenshot from the original cutscene.

I really appreciate all the help, it keeps giving me ideas of how to move this one forward. You guys are picky about your fire-stars. I do NOT look forward to that Bosch monologue with that rotating fire-anomaly-thing.

Oh, and I totally agree on those glowing particles after being away from the project for a few hours.

[headdie]

I like it 

[mjn.mixael]

I think we have a winner! That, or I am getting pretty close.

Images Deleted

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Yeeees, that's definitely heading the right direction

Try making it a bit more reddish, to get colours closer to the original?

[castor]

Looking good. Maybe reduce surface brightness a bit, to leave the hottest bits to corona.

[m!m]

I think it's perfect.
I didn't like the old sun because it was just a yellow blob but your version realy seems like a powerfull sun

[Rodo]

I think you've nailed it with the last one.

[mjn.mixael]

Man... that was an experience... With a final total of 4 particle layers at the resolution of 5333x3000 and 5 animated fractals also at 5333x3000, this beast will take at least two days to render.

Now imagine making tweaks and trying to see them as you go... It became a process of tweak, wait........................., tweak, wait............... (etc.)

I'm liking the animation and look of all the main objects in each Ancients. I'm going to spend some time on the Nebulas.

[Retsof]

There is no way I would have had the patience for that.  Awesome job.   

[Aardwolf]

Will you be releasing the source files for these cutscenes, in addition to the final rendered versions you make?

[Nighteyes]

I sent you the models I converted to max, only thing I think is left for this sun to do is make it a bit more orange/red like the original
about all those layers and tweaking, I really hope you render in passes, this way tweaking is quite a bit more simple and fast in post production

[mjn.mixael]

Hmmm, I don't really see a reason to release the source files... I'll consider it, but there is a lot of work going into these and I'm not sure I would want everyone to have the ability to just change it.

In the case for the sun, I can't really render in passes because the layers are dependent on each other for animation. But now that I have the look I want, animation will be easy since it is about motion and not position. I can animate at quarter resolution or less to make my job easier.

I'm going to work a little on the colors for the sun, but I don't think it will change too drastically. I like that the new one looks like it has life. It looks hot and full of energy, where as the old one looks like a marble with effects. (IMO)

Also, screens of EndGame coming probably, tomorrow or Tuesday.

[hundeswehr]

coronas aren't fire. in some of the previous renderings it looks like fire flickering from the sun producing ember. they're actually plasma which follow the curve of the sun's magnetic field. visually, it should be continuous, extending out from the sun in arcs or loops with the appearance of water or thick mist, not necessarily burry and out of focus.

[castor]

I'm going to work a little on the colors for the sun, but I don't think it will change too drastically. I like that the new one looks like it has life. It looks hot and full of energy, where as the old one looks like a marble with effects. (IMO)

Yea, the original over does the effect, and your version is very good. Still, a slightest of color/intensity adjustment might make it look even better, imho.

[Herra Tohtori]

coronas aren't fire. in some of the previous renderings it looks like fire flickering from the sun producing ember. they're actually plasma which follow the curve of the sun's magnetic field. visually, it should be continuous, extending out from the sun in arcs or loops with the appearance of water or thick mist, not necessarily burry and out of focus.

Also if you rendered the video in real time, all detail in the corona would appear suspended in time simply because the scale of these phenomena is so huge it takes several hours, if not days, for large mass ejections and arcs to progress enough that human eye would notice a difference.

However in this case I think the intention and purpose is to imitate the look, feel and impression of the original, just in higher quality. Quite a bit like FS Upgrade as a whole.

[mjn.mixael]

However in this case I think the intention and purpose is to imitate the look, feel and impression of the original, just in higher quality. Quite a bit like FS Upgrade as a whole.

That is what I'm going for, though upgrades are allowed. This shot is interesting though. I mean, if I were to go with the fullest of realism, I would have to do things like set the exposure so high that you wouldn't be able to see the stars or nebula in the background. And that doesn't make for a very interesting cutscene.

[Cobra]

WHAT THE

This is some amazing **** right thar. I say stick with the current sun, too.

[Galemp]

I would tone down the lens flare and put a little more red in it...

Any finished products yet, for the first batch of cutscenes?

[mjn.mixael]

Ancients 1-3 are basically finished. I'm fixing up the asteroids for Ancients 4 and animating Ancients 5. I have to draw the nebulas and they will all be finished. I'm also starting to animate EndGame.

I'm going to get FMVs up on my studio site as soon as I get it uploaded. (We went through a name change and whatnot).